Why does my water heater no longer heat up?– There is nothing worse than a cold shower when you trust your water heater to live up to modern living standards. If the latter has failed you, below you will find the keys needed to regain the often underestimated comfort of a hot shower or hot tub.
WARNING: Your safety and the safety of others are important. Before repairing, turn off your electricity meter. It is also recommended to wear comfortable clothing close to the body and remove jewelry and accessories that may be stuck.
First of all, you need to identify the type of fault and observe the phenomenon that occurs when the tap is turned on. If you turn on the hot water tap and the water flows normally. However, the temperature is lower than normal, it is probably a power failure.
If the water flow at the water inlet tap is lower than normal, it will be a hydraulic failure. When this phenomenon occurs, the intervention of a professional repairer will most often be necessary.
What worries you today is therefore not yours debit hot water, but in fact the absence of hot water strictly speaking! After all, a water heater that does not heat is like a lamp without a bulb: it may look beautiful, but it takes up a lot of space, and above all, it does not do much good.
So let’s try to figure out together how to repair your water heater installation. With these tips and recommendations, you should quickly find functional equipment.
A few simple checks to identify the problem or fault of an electric hot water tank / cumulus that no longer heats
Before you call in a plumber or a professional repairer who can cost you dearly, you can carry out these checks yourself. Although the water heater is a fairly large piece of equipment, its operation remains fairly simple.
Check that the switch or fuse has not blown and that the forced operation is working
Your bill does not lie: the water heater can sometimes be greedy for electricity!
Check the circuit breaker installation that it has not tripped and that the fuse is in good condition.
If everything is in order, try forcing your water heater to check that the meter measures an increase in electricity consumption.
If nothing happens when the forced operation is activated on the meter, there is actually a problem with your device.
If, on the other hand, the water heater uses power but the circuit breaker continues to trip, make sure there is no water leakage and check the resistance. This may be the cause of a short circuit.
Check and test the thermostat
The thermostat is used to regulate the temperature of the water in the hot water tank. Ideally, the temperature of your water heater should be between 50 and 60 ° C. Is this the case? If it looks fine but the problem persists, the thermostat may be defective.
1. Check the voltage of the electrical power input terminals on the thermostat.
Once this initial check has been performed on your equipment, you can test the thermostat. Take a multimeter in the Volt (AC) position. Go to the thermostat’s current input terminals, the measured voltage should be around 230 volts. If nothing happens, the electrical circuit is disconnected and the problem is not with the thermostat.
2. Check the voltage at the thermostat output terminals.
Same as the previous test, you now need to check the output voltage. This should also be around 230 volts. If nothing happens, make sure your water heater is safe. If it is not, your thermostat is defective and needs to be replaced.
If you have measured the voltage of 230 correctly at the output, proceed to the resistance test.
It is not always easy to know how to use a multimeter. If you need more detailed explanations about the use of the multimeter, we have written an article dedicated to its use: How to use a multimeter correctly ?. If you are not sure how this device works, take the time to read this article.
To do this, remove the screws and connections as needed and remove it from the housing.
Our tutorial on testing and replacing your water heater thermostat!
A faulty thermostat can cause your appliance to lock, a situation we describe in more detail in the last section of this article.
3, Check your resistance
The resistor is the heating part of your appliance. Without it, no heat is possible. If your water heater is no longer heated, that is probably the reason.
To check that your resistor is in good condition, have a multimeter in the Ohm position and test the resistor terminals. This measurement makes it possible to check that an electric current passes correctly through the resistor, which would cause it to heat up. If your multimeter does not detect anything, it is the resistance that needs to be changed.
Do not hesitate to read our guide to test and replace your water heater resistance!
Water heater no longer heated?
There can be various causes for a heating problem with the water heater.
Some of these causes have been discussed in the next section, but there may also be indirect causes that may cause a malfunction of the water heater heating element, such as scale or a leak seal.
What to do in case of tartar?
Did you know that the average lifespan of an electric water heater, called “Cumulus”, is only 10 years? Even when it works perfectly normally and the water temperature remains constant, it settles over time in the bottom of the tank limestone, sand, gravel … and thus calcified the resistance.
Maybe it still works (when you test it with a multimeter), but the construction prevents it from heating the water properly. Scaling the resistance can also be the reason why the thermostat is out of order or even a trip.
What to do ? If it’s not too late, get into good habits as soon as possible: Empty and descale the tank of your water heater regularly, especially as soon as you notice that the water is less and less hot for no apparent reason.
There are various reasons to drain a water heater regularly. Although this does not have to be done daily because it is a rather heavy operation.
At least once every two years, it is advisable to drain your water heater. This extra maintenance can help keep your water heater in good condition for longer.
Remember to take a sufficient container to collect the water from the water heater. Locate the safety group on your water heater and turn the drain knob two notches so that maximum flow comes out.
You can also turn off the hot water, which will create a call to air and increase the power even more.
Take advantage of the separation of the water heater to kill two birds with one stone and inspect the condition of the anode and the lip seal of the tank. If it is either damaged or in bad condition, replace it! The role of the anode is to protect the water heater tank from the risk of corrosion. It is made of magnesium that loosens over time to clog and repair rust stains. This helps prevent the formation of holes. The anode is therefore a wear part and must be replaced approximately every two years.
Avoid leakage of water heater
As for the gasket, also known as the flange gasket. It guarantees the tightness of the water heater tank. The flange gasket is placed on the heater flange or on the resistance flange.
Read our article on: How to repair water heater leakage to learn more.
The mechanism that protects you and your apartment: security
The lockout is a mechanism that interrupts the operation of the water heater as a safety precaution. This locking phenomenon can be triggered after severe weather, a power outage, or if your appliance risks becoming overheated due to a defective thermostat or a limescale buildup. The bottom of the tank.
First of all, be sure to turn off your meter. Remove the plastic cover generally located under the hot water tank to access the thermostat. You should then see a red button that you need to press. If the latter was not already pressed, your device has gone to safety. You can then turn on the power again and try to force your device again to test it.
If the lockout is triggered again, check the status and resistance of your thermostat (see sections above).
If you still can not find the cause of the problem with the heating of your cumulus cloud after all these checks, do not wait any longer and contact a professional repairer.
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